Defining Moments of the Civil Rights Movement

By Juan Cabral

  • The Women's Political Council (WPC)

    The WPC, led by Jo Ann Robinson, aims to address racial injustice and advocate for civil rights.

  • Montgomery Bus Boycott

    he Montgomery Bus Boycott begins as news spreads about Rosa Parks' arrest. Jo Ann Robinson, as president of the WPC, and other local leaders, including E.D. Nixon of the NAACP, rally support for the boycott.

  • Rosa Parks

    a member of the NAACP and the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), refuses to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus.

  • The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA)

    MIA is established to coordinate the boycott efforts. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is elected as its leader.

  • Browder V. Gayle

    The MIA files a federal lawsuit, Browder v. Gayle, challenging the constitutionality of segregation on Montgomery buses. The legal battle is led by local attorney Fred Gray.

  • Brown v. Board of Education

    A federal district court rules that segregation on Montgomery buses is unconstitutional, based on the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.

  • The United States Supreme Court

    The United States Supreme Court upholds the district court's ruling, affirming that segregation on Montgomery buses is illegal.

  • Montgomery Bus Boycott Ends

    After 381 days of boycott, the Montgomery Bus Boycott ends with a victory for the civil rights movement. African Americans in Montgomery gain the right to sit anywhere on the buses.